Cinema: theatrical release of Ken Loach’s film “The Old Oak”, a fiction about bonds of solidarity

The icy streets of an old mining town in the north of England, its brick houses, its deserted seaside and, planted in the middle of this universe, The Old Oak pub. The sudden arrival of a group of Syrian refugees in this town undermined by unemployment agitates the spirits: some brace themselves against the newcomers, others willingly extend a hand to them.

At the pub, run by a big-hearted boss named TJ Ballantyne (touching Dave Turner), the comments are rife: why help these migrants when the locals have nothing to eat?

As in a powerful outline of his previous films, Ken Loach films the intensity of the relationships between the characters and the complexity of the links that unite them. Thus, the wonderful – and improbable – friendship between Yara, a young Syrian passionate about photography, and the owner of the pub will breathe new life into the local community. At 86 years old, the great Ken Loach has created a moving, highly topical film.